RP: Plans for the shelter

[shh_mandy]

Date: 6 June 2005
Characters: Mandy Brocklehurst, Greg Goyle, Dean Thomas, Roger Davies
Location: The animal shelter.
Status: Private
Summary: Vet, volunteer, architect and builder meet to go over the plans for the new shelter building.
Completion: Complete

Comments

[shh_greg]

Greg sighed as he started to relax. "I suppose it could have been worse. It was only fourteen out of a herd of forty but I'll need to keep an eye on them. Some could still be developing symptoms."

"Yeah, I was pretty impressed with the plans, especially for ones done without specific knowledge of the particulars," he said as he sipped at his tea.

He finished his first sandwich and took a second, eating it more slowly. He swallowed his current mouthful before answering.

"It looks good," he said with growing enthusiasm. "Good, healthy plant life and it looks like it's fed by the river somehow, possibly through an underground spring so there's a constant flow of water through it. It won't be able to take large numbers of the aquatic animals but certainly any that need treatment and any pregnant females will be able to be kept there. We might want to consider creating a larger enclosure on the river, though I'm not entirely sure how we'd go about doing that."

"Oh!" he said as he remembered something. "There's a fair size patch of Gillyweed in the pond as well which we should be able to use for trade. I presume there are some potion makers in the town other than Vincent Crabbe? Frankly his line of research gives me the creeps."

[shh_mandy]

"That sounds great then," said Mandy, looking at him with a grin spreading over her face. "Gillyweed? Did you actually dive in? The pond's deep, it must have been freezing down there." She leaned back and eyed the vet. Greg was quite fit -- very tall and strongly built. Too bad she hadn't been around for that, she mused, inwardly laughing at herself.

"Yeah, that's a great resource. I don't know Crabbe or what he does," she confessed. She looked at him more curiously. Goyle and Crabbe had seemed inseparable at school, and their reputation hadn't exactly been the best. But Greg didn't seem to hold his former housemate in very high esteem now. "Professor Slughorn is in town, isn't he? Do you know if he still makes potions? And there's the apothecary, don't they make some of their own?"

[shh_greg]

Greg chuckled ruefully. "Yes, I went in. It was the only way to check the state of the bottom. And it was damn cold in there." He grinned. "Though I got asked if I was a giant pirate coming to steal the women and children when I got out."

He sobered and grimaced. "Vincent's... doing some potions research that I don't quite approve of for various reasons. From what he said, the Ministry knows what he's doing but..." He shrugged. "Well, hell, who am I to say what's right and wrong?"

He shook thought so of Vincent out of his head and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before continuing.

"Yeah, I can't imagine Professor Slughorn not brewing potions. That was about the only thing about him that reminded me of Professor Snape. And the apothecary's a good suggestion. Even if they can't provide us with things we need, we can always trade for potions that we can then trade for things we do need. Or they can buy the Gillyweed using Muggle money if they have any. It's easier buying supplies for the animals from Muggle shops."

[shh_mandy]

"A pirate?" Mandy raised her eyebrows. "Let me make a wild, but educated guess here. Was the person asking you that about this tall--" she indicated a child's height with her hand "--and answering to the name of Ben? Because if he was, I know him pretty well. He calls me Auntie, and he sees the world in a very, um, piratey light." She grinned. "Actually I've been thinking of getting some tadpoles from the pond out there for him. Get a little fishtank for them and some fish food so he can watch them grow little legs and all that. It's a pretty cool thing, when you're five."

"Yes," she nodded. "It would be good to have some commodities to trade. And dog and cat food is much cheaper from Muggle suppliers. I've been wondering whether we should start to sell a few good brands from here, too, it'd be another small way to make our funding more stable. Many people who come to adopt pets ask where they can buy them food, and the market doesn't offer much choice in brands, while the familiar shop sells mainly supplies for magical pets as far as I've heard."

[shh_greg]

Greg laughed. "Got it in one. He's very serious about that whole pirate thing. He was very cute though he managed to horrify his father when he parroted some foul language he'd picked up somewhere. I daresay he had a long discussion when he got home about what can and cannot be said in public."

He finished his tea and grinned. "Yeah, that's a good idea. I actually think it's kind of cool now as well. Though I think you're going to let yourself in for a lot of questions about tadpoles and frogs."

He leaned back in his chair and scratched his head. "Well, Jalo gave me the names of some pet supply wholesalers here in Britain so if we've got the Muggle cash we should be able to buy the food at the wholesale price which will make it a bit cheaper. If I mention Jalo's name I might even be able to get a better deal, especially if I add that it's for an animal shelter." He grimaced. "Yeah, I noticed the market is a little limited. They have the basics but some people will need more specialised food."

Just then Shadow came running into the kitchen and climbed up the leg of his jeans until she got to his lap then scrambled up onto his shoulder where she promptly stuck her nose in his ear.

Greg laughed then said calmly but with the a hint of mischief. "We were talking about food. We obviously woke up the walking garbage bin here."

Shadow looked affronted then nipped at his earlobe before sneezing in his face.

[shh_mandy]

Mandy grinned at the thought of Ben blurting out something that would horrify Terry. She'd have to ask him.

She nodded. "There are some of the dogs especially that are sensitive to cheap supermarket brands and need more easily digestible food, and the owners have to go into an Exeter pet shop to get vet-recommended brands. That shouldn't have to be necessary." Seeing a slim, long little creature come scampering into the kitchen, she broke off and smiled. Shadow still made her jump with surprise at times, although usually the jarvey kept close to Greg.

"Hey little one. Have you heard such insults, and from your very own pet human. No biscuit for him today," she said, laughing as Greg's grimace as Shadow sneezed at him.

[shh_greg]

Greg laughed. "I shall consider myself suitably chastised."

He petted Shadow until she was almost wriggling with delight then she curled up on his shoulder radiating smugness and situating herself so that she could see what was going on.

"Anyway," Greg said with amusement, "I have a list somewhere of the various types of food available, which of the wholesalers stocks them and their relative value in terms of nutrition and so on and so forth. So we can use that to determine how many varieties we want to keep in stock." He paused. "We also might want to keep in stock some basic supplies for the Muggle pets in particular. You know, worming tablets, flea treatments, kitty litter, kitty litter trays, bowls, collars, leashes and so on."

[shh_mandy]

"Oh yes, that's a great idea," said Mandy eagerly. "I'd mainly considered the food, but if we could offer the basic equipment it would be easier to help adopters to a good start with their pets. I sometimes refer them to Familiar Ground, as some of the equipment for magical familiars can of course be used for Muggle pets, too, but it would be practical to have supplies for the cats and dogs here. And if you could get a good deal with the wholesalers this could actually become a welcome little source of income for the shelter."

She reached out to gently stroke a finger over Shadow's neck, careful to observe the jarvey's reactions in case the attention wasn't welcome. But Shadow chose to tolerate it, gazing at her with bright dark eyes. Perhaps she'd noted that Mandy had leapt to her defence, Mandy thought with a small grin.

The door opened at the front of the shelter and she looked up and got to her feet. Peering up the corridor she saw Dean stand there and waved to him.

"Dean's arrived," she said to Greg. "No sign of Roger yet, though."